pyr min solemnly swears he is up to no good (twinclaws) wrote in emillion, |
The engagement present Pyr and Sky had picked for Audrey and her soon-to-be-husband (who looked like he couldn't have kept from twitching at every sound if he'd been paid to) was pried from their hands by a servant the moment they walked into the ballroom. That left them with nothing to do but find ways to postpone the inevitable moment when they'd have to approach Audrey and congratulate her on her engagement, and hope she wouldn't hang them from the chandelier by their neckties. For the moment, they were safe. Sky was using mingling with his fellow guild members as an excuse, and Pyr decided to chalk it up to lack of inspiration. He stood by the food table, trying to read lips―if he could figure out what the nobles milling around the couple were saying to them, he could come up with something to say later that wasn’t this seems more boring than your old house. It wasn’t long before he gave the thinking up as a bad job and settled for watching Ari twirling around on the dancefloor with some noble guy. As the song ended, he caught a glimpse of blue out of the corner of his eye and felt his jaw drop when he identified who it was. Juliette, in a dress like the one she’d worn to the King’s party, the kind of dress that made Pyr scramble to grab a canapé and shove it in his mouth so he could pretend he hadn’t just been gaping. The blue dress, however, was approaching at a steady pace (young ladies of quality did not run in heels unless their lives were in danger -- possibly not even then), for Juliette had had enough of dancing for the moment and she had lost track of Esther some time ago. None of her subsequent partners made for the same level of comfort, and a plate of food, like a glass of champagne, would serve as a deterrent to all but the most determined of partners. She spotted Pyr at the table and offered him a smile and a nod in greeting. She would not wave here, whatever he preferred. But she could greet him with relative warmth once she was close enough to speak normally. “Hello Pyr. I am glad that you came.” Seeing her few friends mixed into the crowd was… curious. A pleasant sort of curious -- Alys had thought of it, or perhaps the Countess, but it continued to surprise her when anyone thought of her at all. It was a habit she thought she ought to break, but on the other hand, it certainly fostered gratitude. “Are you enjoying the buffet?” A testament to her comfort with him -- she could very lightly tease him about being here for the food (surely it was not the dancing). He teased her about food often enough that certainly she could reciprocate, couldn’t she? And just like that, the nerves that had come out of nowhere as she approached vanished again. “Always.” He grinned. “I’m trying not to appear ungrateful. So your sister’s chef doesn’t think no one likes the food and gets sad.” In her high-heeled shoes, she was taller than him―but the difference wasn’t as marked as it had been during the party at the palace. Little by little, Pyr was catching up. It made him feel good about himself, to finally have reason to believe he was probably not going to be a runt forever. “It is the countess’ staff who prepared the luncheon,” Juliette felt the need to point out. She did not think Ms. Han -- despite her delicious homemade meals -- qualified as a chef. She was certain one elderly woman would never manage to cook for such a number, either. “If you wish to compliment the food, she is the one you should tell.” |